What is the difference between these two sentences:
- What is there to do with my life to make it better?
- What is there to do to my life to make it better?
More examples:
- It's my life; I do with it whatever I want.
- It's my life; I do to it whatever I want.
Best Answer
"With" is used to describe two things that exist or act together. "I wrote a letter with Bob." Bob and I worked together to write the letter.
"To" is used to describe one thing acting on another. "I sent a letter to Bob." I am the one doing the acting. Bob is just receiving that action. He may not do anything. He may not even take the letter out of his mailbox.
In your example, "I did X with my life" implies that "I" and "my life" are working together. "I did X to my life" implies that "I" am separate from "my life". I think "with" is the more common thing to say, as we normally think of "I" and "my life" as pretty closely tied together. I would only be likely to say "to" here if I wanted to paint a picture of myself as someone separate from my own life, like it is not me who is living my life but some external force.